The present invention relates to housings for placement on roofs and, in particular, to conduit housings for enclosing the juncture between a roof and a conduit (for example, a pipe or a cable) extending upwardly through the roof.
When a building is constructed, one or more conduits, each having a particular purpose, may extend upwardly through the roof. Once past the juncture between the roof and the conduit, any given conduit may extend for a relatively short distance (e.g. a vent pipe), an intermediate distance (e.g. a pipe leading to an air conditioner or other external utility placed elsewhere on the roof), or a relatively long distance (e.g. a cable carrying electrical wires to power lines, telephone lines or other external utility distant from the roof). In all cases, it is of course important to ensure that the juncture between the roof and the conduit is adequately sealed to prevent leakage through the roof. Typically, required sealing is accomplished with the aid of housings or flashings that are integrated with the structure of the roof.
After a building is constructed (typically and hopefully years after), it may become necessary to re-surface the roof of the building. When this necessity arises, those conduits that extend through the roof and which are connected to external utilities such as those mentioned above frequently present a problem. Existing conduit housings often must be removed and replaced. However, their structure typically does not admit to replacement without first disconnecting the conduits from the utilities to which they are connected, then installing the replacement housing, then reconnecting the conduits to their respective utilities. The cost of breaking and remaking such connections can add significantly to the cost of re-surfacing a roof.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved conduit housing for enclosing the juncture between a roof and a conduit extending through the roof, and which can be quickly and easily installed while the conduit is connected to an external utility.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a conduit housing of the foregoing type that can be manufactured in minimal parts off site and subsequently assembled and installed on site with minimal labor.
In one aspect of the present invention, a further object is to provide a conduit housing of the foregoing type which is particularly well adapted for cases where the conduit is a flexible cable.
In another aspect of the present invention, a further object is to provide a conduit housing of the foregoing type which is particularly well adapted for cases where the conduit is a rigid pipe extending upwardly through a roof then horizontally above and across the roof.
In a broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a conduit housing for enclosing the juncture between a roof and an elongated conduit while the conduit is in situ. The conduit comprises a first portion extending upwardly through the roof and a second portion extending horizontally above the roof. The housing comprises first and second base sections, a hood, and a conduit opening extending through a side wall of the housing. In one embodiment, the side wall is a side wall of one of the base sections. In another embodiment, the side wall is a side wall of the hood.
The base sections are horizontally slidably engageable on the roof with each other around the conduit to form a base assembly. The base assembly has an open top and extends peripherally around an interior region containing at least a lower portion of the first portion of conduit. The hood is engageable with the base assembly to cover at least the open top of the base assembly. The conduit opening is sized to provide a passage for the second portion of the conduit from within the interior region to an external region outside the housing.
In preferred embodiments, the base assembly comprises four sides adjoined to define the interior region, each of the sides comprising an outwardly extending base flange securable to the roof, an intermediate side wall extending on a cant upwardly and inwardly from the base flange; and, an upper side wall extending substantially vertically from the intermediate side wall to the open top. Three of the four sides are preferably associated with one of the two base sections while the remaining fourth side is associated with the other of the two base sections. When engaged to form the base assembly, the separate identity of the two base sections is lost for all practical purposes. However, the resulting assembly is one which easily can be integrated with the structure of a roof using conventional roofing practices.
In an embodiment preferred for cases where the conduit is a flexible cable, the conduit opening extends down from the top of one of the upper side walls of the base assembly. Further, a conduit channel preferably extends outwardly from the conduit opening, the channel being sized to provide a passage for the conduit/cable for a distance outwardly from the opening. The hood is sized to cover both the open top of the base assembly and said channel.
In an embodiment preferred for cases where the conduit is a rigid pipe, the hood comprises a top wall and side walls extending downwardly from the top wall to an open bottom. Upper side walls of the base assembly extend upwardly wholly within the side walls of the hood, and the conduit opening is located in a front one of the side walls of the hood. In cases where it is desired to have a structure that easily can be easily adapted to pipes extending horizontally above roofs at differing elevations, the front one of the side walls advantageously includes an elongated slot extending upwardly from the open bottom of the hood, and the conduit opening is an opening between a longitudinally abutting pair of panels extending across the slot while slidably engaged with the front one of the side walls.
The foregoing and other features of the present invention, and resulting advantages, will now be described with reference to the drawings.